Technical Field
This disclosure relates to heat management and removal assemblies for semiconductor devices. More specifically, this disclosure relates to an assembly that may provide parallel flow of coolant to multiple semiconductor devices.
Description of the Related Art
Power semiconductor devices, such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), are utilized in a wide scope of applications. In many of these applications, the power semiconductor device generates heat, and it may be necessary to remove heat from the device before the heat adversely affects the performance of the device or surrounding components.
Various systems and devices may be utilized to remove heat from power semiconductor device and other heat generating electronic devices, including direct liquid cooling systems. Direct liquid cooling systems may utilize a coolant flow system which may be configured to remove heat from such heat generating electronic devices by circulating a liquid coolant in thermal proximity with a heated surface, or substrate, of an electronic device or devices such that the coolant absorbs, and thereby removes heat from the device. However, typical direct liquid cooling systems may present inefficiencies as well as other drawbacks such as, for example, coolant leakage, insufficient or inconsistent coolant flow through the cooling system, insufficient or inconsistent coolant flow in thermal proximity to the electronic device, and serpentine flow paths which may require coolant to be pumped therethrough at relatively high pressures, any one or more of which may increase manufacturing costs of the cooling systems and reduced overall cooling performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,571,759 discloses a stacked-type cooler with a plurality of parallel cooling tubes and semiconductor devices sandwiched between the cooling tubes so the semiconductor devices are cooled from both sides. The cooling tubes interconnect at one end to an inlet pipe and at the other end to an outlet pipe for parallel flow from the inlet pipe, through the cooling tubes, and to the outlet pipe. However, the design is limited to semiconductor devices arranged in a stacked configuration.
There is a need to provide heat management and removal assemblies for semiconductor devices that generate heat that overcome any one or more of the foregoing drawbacks in addition to being inexpensive to manufacture and operate and easy to install and service.